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OPERATIONAL CLIMATOLOGY FOR RESEARCH BALLOONING SOUTH ae NEW MEXICO INTRODUCTION Specific details of this report apply to the primary launch area of the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (AFSC) Balloon R&D Test Branch, located at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico on the edge of White Sands Missile Range, and to plastic, constant-level (Skyhook) balloons. However, most of the upper air parameters are applicable within a 100 mile radius and very generally for much of the Southwestern United States. Furthermore, supplementary information pertaining to remote launch sites includes a good deal of t…

The layman may wonder at the detailed preparations and forethought dedicated to an apparently uncomplicated vehicle. Modern plastic bal- loon operations however, involve cells larger than a football field not much thicker than a sandwich bag, carrying as much as a million dollars worth of payload. Gross loads have exceeded six tons and special breeds exhibit flight durations of more than a day. 2. GENERAL CLIMATOLOGY The White Sands Missile Range is located in the Tularosa Basin of southern New Mexico. It is bordered by the Sacramento Mountains on the east, varying from 4000 to 8000 feet above…

U rs a4 CaRticn YOUNTAIN, j NEW MEXICO. : MOUNTAINS 7 ; MILITARY TOR 9 ORO GRANDE RANGE CAMP Paper Py Tey asy Ne MILITARY 7 FORT BLISS MILITARY RESERVATION Figure {Ll 1 5 RESERVATION 4 ae | ad X-500,000 | W.S.T.. = otero co | EE le ie : SIERRA CO NBH a iy OTERO CO pee y i SMAIL MISSILE RANGE Ab se T_T” DONA ANA TO | |b a = bo - vam All y uy HAZARDOUS Test area \ a - RHODES CANYON RANGE CENT! & ER EIEN ee OE STALLION RANGE ‘CENTER SOCORRO CO SIERRA CO MISSILE fn... Ko tn sa JORNADA f ae / (28) | ( = EXPERIMENTAL

In addition to the artificial aid donated by restricted areas, the low incidence of cloud coverage in general is perhaps the most positive credential of the area. In Figure 2 we note that the area of minimum cloudiness for the United States includes the Tularosa Basin, During May for instance, the skies at dawn are clear to scattered 80% of the time. The extreme case is 0500 in November, when the percentage reaches 87%, The protective effect of the Sacramento Mountains, are illustrated by cloulcover statistics for May, where Roswell, just on the east side of the mountains, shows 15% fewer case…

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unexpected gusts, and drainage from the mountains can amplify a light gradient wind. A survey of flight cancellations by AFGL at Holloman AFB, kept spradically over seven years domonstrated the following break down by cause: Cause Surface Winds 65 x Jet Stream iss Minimum Temperature on Climb Out 14 * Cloud Coverage 76 The cloud coverage figure includes downwind stations and is also biased by requirements for almost clear conditions on certain target missions. However, it does indicate that surface winds are not nec- essarily on over riding factor. Nominating an average of 6 knots with gusts t…

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